A Thousand Years
by Carlos'sCupcake
Summary: I have to tell my friend Kendall something before it's too late. **Sorta kinda based on the song by Christina Perri...the idea popped in my head and I ran with it.


**A/N Okay so I heard 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri earlier and somehow my twisted mind came up with this. It is WAY different than my normal stuff, but I felt compelled to write it...**

Years of memories flow through my head as I stare out the window while my favorite song plays for like the hundredth time today, waiting for him to arrive.

_Kendall and I were eight and my dad just fixed up a tire swing on the thickest branch of the old oak tree_. _We took turns swinging, and doing tricks to outdo eachother. Kendall bet me I can't swing without holding on, and wanting to beat him, I attempted it as he pushed me super hard, and I went flying off of the tire, landing on the ground with a sickening thud. That earned me a broken arm and Kendall didn't make fun of me for crying. Usually he would say that's a girly thing, and I wanted to be his friend so bad I did whatever I thought would make him think that I'm cool. _

_ Our old treehouse still sits up in the tree, but the wood rotted the past few years and it's pretty much been condemned. Kendall and I would play house up there, he was always the dad and I was of course the mom. As we got older, my blonde best friend taught me to play poker up there and it's also the sight of where Kendall smuggled a few wine coolers from his mom's house when we were fourteen, and we drank up there, feeling silly and catching a buzz for the first time. _

_ I remember laying on a blanket on hot summer days with my stereo on when we older and Kendall was too busy being out with his boys and chasing girls to bother with me. I would lay there and think about him. Yes, we've lived next to eachother our whole entire lives and I can't tell you the exact moment I fell in love with him, but I've spent basically my whole life loving him, secretly of course._

_ In the driveway is where I had my first kiss, with Richie Gray and when I closed my eyes, I imagined it was Kendall. All I could think about those days were those magnificent green eyes and the dimples in his cheeks. Kendall's blonde hair was always long and shaggy, and I longed to run my fingers through it, but we were only friends. At least to him we were, I would jump at the chance to be with him but I don't think he ever saw me that way. _

_ The window still I'm sitting at, is also the very place Kendall would climb into my room late at night, either when his parents were fighting, or when he was out late with his friends and didn't want to get in trouble, so he'd sleep here and tell his mom he was here all night. Mrs. Knight never minded, she adored our friendship and I think she even secretly wished we would get together one day. _

I turn my head and look at the doorway, remembering the last time I saw Kendall. _It was the fall after graduation, and the both of us were going off to college. I was leaving first, and Kendall stood here giving me a big hug, telling me I'll do just fine and that we'll keep in touch always. _

Kendall wasn't lying, we have kept in touch, through texts, facebook, and sporadic phone calls. Our contact has dwindled down a lot within the past year because he fell in love with a girl at the beginning of his second year in college and I've been stuck at home.

Later on in the previous year, I found out that I have cancer and moved back home with my parents. I've tried chemo and radiation treatments, but all they do is make me sick and haven't improved anything, so several months ago I decided to stop everything and let nature take it's course. I never told Kendall any of this because I don't want him to worry about me, I want him to act like carefree young man that he is.

I've grown really weak lately, and I know that my time is coming soon. Instead of choosing to be mad at the world, I look upon the fact that I've had a longer life in my twenty years than some people, and accept my fate. Why spend the time I have left upset and brooding when I can enjoy everything while I can?

I hear a car door close and I turn back towards the window, getting excited when I see Kendall walking to the door. Nervousness tries to creep in, but I push it away and face the doorway when I hear his footsteps bounding up the stairs. He walks into the room and then his pace slows down, and he comes to a complete stop as he gawks at me. "Mimi?", he calls me by my nickname. The only time Kendall has ever called me my given name Marie, is when he's mad at me.

"Hi Kendall", I say. I can just imagine what's going through his head as he takes in me sitting here. Since I stopped radiation treatments, my hair has grown back, but I've lost a lot of weight and my face is gaunt and pale.

His face falls and he slips down to his knees, crawling over to me. My best friend takes my hands in his as reality hits him. "How long?"

I reach out and touch his hair, and grin. "I don't know", I shrug my shoulders, lying to him for the first time ever. I know my time will run out very soon; my body is exhausted and I'm just weary of it all, but I had to see him one last time.

"Why didn't you tell me?", his voice drops.

"Because I didn't want you to worry. Come on, dance with me", I stand up and take his hands, and use all my strength to move to the middle of the room. When we were younger and played house, we would dance sometimes. Now as grown ups, I let him pull me into his arms and rest my head on his chest, listening to the strong thumping of his heart, and close my eyes.

My legs begin to ache so bad that they start to shake and Kendall guides me over to the bed, although I try to protest. He sits me down and looks at me fearfully as Christina Perri's 'A Thousand Years' ends and starts all over again, courtesy of the repeat button pressed down. "Just listen", I whisper and watch his eyes grow misty as the singer croons the lyrics.

I turn the music off with the remote and clear my throat. "I just wanted you to know what I've always been too afraid to say", I lay back against the pillows.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?", he asks.

"Because", I attempt to shrug. "I was scared."

"Things could have been so much different", his jaw clenches.

"I-I", and feel tears welling up in my own eyes. I don't want things to be bad between us. "I can't change this now, Kendall. It is what it is". He sits there silently, until I rest my hand on his arm. "Do you remember that story you used to tell me all the time when we were kids?", I ask him, trying to change the subject.

"With the boy and girl who lived next door to eachother? The ones who ended up taking over the world?" Kendall always had a good imagination, and he would make up the best stories, and I'd be doubled over in laughter. This particular one he made up when he was going through his superhero phase, and is my personal favorite because when it was all overwith, the boy and the girl became the King and Queen, and fell in love.

"Yeah", I nod and pat the bed next to me. "Lay down here and tell it to me again?", I ask like I did when we were kids.

Kendall scoots down next to me, and turns his head towards mine. I watch as he moves his mouth closer to mine and presses his lips gently to mine. "I love you, Mimi", he whispers.

I try to sing him a verse from the song, and even though my voice is raspy, I push through it, knowing this will be the last time I ever get to tell him. "_I have loved you for a thousand years...I'll love you for a thousand more..."_

Kendall is smiling and he pushes the hair out of my face and I lay my head next to his arm like I've done a thousand times before, pressing my forehead into his bicep. "Tell me the story now?", I urge.

"Once upon a time there was a boy named...", my lungs are giving out and I don't struggle, I let Kendall's voice fill my ears as my last breath consumes me.


End file.
